


Equivalent Exchange

by BunBunnyi



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Brief appearances of the bros, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, warning: very sappy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:20:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27561400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunBunnyi/pseuds/BunBunnyi
Summary: Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. Mammon hoped Lucifer would understand the meaning behind his gift.In which Mammon proposes to Lucifer.
Relationships: Lucifer/Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	Equivalent Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> FMA references go brr

Mammon didn't know what was up with him as of late. Between school and the several side jobs he had taken he had barely had time to be on the House and relax, and he often found himself longing for the company of his brothers; for the easy banter, the playful jabs, the background noise that seemed to fill the quiet eeriness of the House. That sometimes drowned the speed of his thoughts. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed the peace he found in that chaos, wishing to have a break for the first time in a long while.

He even found himself missing Lucifer's punishments –which probably said a lot about his current mental state–; the subtle release of tension in the snap of a whip; the feeling of submitting without saying out loud, words between the both of them barely necessary as they understood the other in a way they could never say – never explain –, perhaps far more telling in actions. He missed the aftercare of those sessions, the way Lucifer would finally let the mask slip and Mammon could catch a glimpse of what it was hidden underneath, mellowed by time and age and the beautiful curve of Mammon's body as it squirmed beneath his touch; poetic, almost, the longing in those red eyes, how they always took the youngers breath away and gazed away, heart pounding too fast to be considered healthy – even though he was aware of no such hazardous condition in his body –. Their bodies would always come together in the end, as if pieces of a puzzle finally connecting together, strong arms embracing him, cradling his body in a way that it was only talked about in the romance novels Satan had hidden somewhere in his pile of books.

It wasn't always like this; he remembers sudden bursts of pain, followed by pleasurable agony and blunt cleaning, almost hurtful in a way, but he knew better than to judge those moments he had grown to know as his brother's mind cracking under the pressure and the weight of itself.

Always seeking to please someone, but not knowing who it was. But as the years passed and as the human came to spend their year with them, Lucifer's hard edges softened and he was gifted with the opportunity of seeing a side of him he hadn't seen in more than a millennium.

  
  


This wasn't meant to say that those emotions weren't present already in the two of them, the human wisely explained, it was rather that the way of expressing them wasn't the accurate one.

Fuck, he didn't want to sound like one of the protagonists in Levi's games, but he missed their embraces. He couldn't even bring himself to say it in his thoughts, far too shy, heart too weak to face even a conceptual rejection.

His heart still raced on his ribcage, pumping blood at a rapid pace while making his way to Lucifer's room, as if subconsciously telling him to run, to get away from the phantom prey. And wasn't it funny that he, being one of the highest level demons on the Devildom and one of the Princes of Hell, was so damn scared at the concept of marriage? Well, not exactly marriage, but at proposing. He had always been a wuss and softhearted for this kind of thing.

He had sent Lucifer a message earlier to meet in their room, fingers shaking with euphoric delight at finally seeing each other after so long a time spent apart. Granted, he wasn't usually the one to initiate this type of thing –even if today was to be different–, always used to Lucifer being the one pulling and Mammon going towards him in faux resistance.

He stopped right in front of Lucifer's door, the craft and height of it enough to impress anyone who contemplated it, ever a reflection of his master. His knuckles were held above it, poised already to knock and make his presence known. He could feel his whole body breaking in a nervous sweat, his free hand twiddling the little box in his pocket. He had assured his human he could do this, so he was going to do this.

Now he wasn't so sure, his mind once again running at full speed with possibilities of how this night could end.

And he was still in time, a voice whispered, to pull back; to act as if this hadn't ever happened. To make his excuses and leave and – "Aren't you going to come in?"

_ Busted. _

Mammon's shoulders hung in defeat, quietly opening the door and crossing the threshold of Lucifer's room. Mammon thought it was bizarrely telling of his brother, so clean and polished, too perfect to seem like someone did live here. Then again, most of Lucifer's time was spent on his study working. Sleep was, oftentimes, something his brother both shunned and coveted at the same time.

As expected, Lucifer was resting comfortably in one of his armchairs, his back turned away from Mammon as he contemplated the sensual twirls of both fire and smoke, legs crossed and sipping what was definitely demonus from a glass. Mammon sometimes was surprised by how easily his older brother disregarded the dangers of exposing his back so carelessly to whoever came to his room with the kind of confidence he could have. Lucifer knew he wasn't the prey; would never be in that position.

Lucifer's head turned around as if sensing Mammon's thoughts. Mammon tore his gaze away, cheeks flushing –was he a highschool girl? For fuck's sake–. Lucifer raised an eyebrow, still expectant for his brother to explain himself, "stop standing there looking like a lost puppy and take a seat." He didn't even wait to see Mammon springing to action, overconfident in the sure following of his not-really order and Mammon had half a mind to get angry at how easy he was being ordered around, as if he was nothing but a dog to his older brother, awaiting for his master's orders. He berated himself even more when he did exactly as told with rigidness planted on his body, sitting his ass on the soft cushions of the armchair.

Neither of them said anything, engrossed in whatever thoughts crossed their minds, Lucifer sipping quietly and Mammon struggling to find the words. Perhaps it was in Mammon's head but the silence felt grating to his skin in the way that it was charged with so much tension. The one coming from two lovers that hadn't embraced each other in a long while.

The silence was deafening and Mammon was compelled to fill it somehow, even if with mindless chatter. Anything.

He cleared his throat, preparing to say something meaningful for once and intent on beginning a decent conversation. Instead, all that came out was a strangled, "'sup." He mentally facepalmed. Or physically, since now his nose stang with pain.

Lucifer's eyebrow twitched, in amusement or annoyance Mammon didn't know. He rested the glass of demonus on the table, leaning forward and crossing his hands under his chin to give him the full force of his attention. “Is there anything you wished to tell me?” Mammon's hands sweated on his lap, the weight on his pockets getting heavier.

"What? I just wanted to see ya." The lie felt fake even to himself. He had never been good at lying.

Lucifer's mouth twitched. "Oh, did you? How unexpectedly adorable of you." God fucking dammit _he was not a dog!_

“No! 'm not–“

"Then you do have a reason to see me." _This guy, not even letting him finish–_. "Speak now."

Mammon flushed at how transparent he was to Lucifer. It didn't help that he was particularly pushy today. Was he tired? Mammon was used to Lucifer's bluntness, but today it was another flavor of bluntness, and he would have tried to give it some more thought if it wasn't because both his brain and tongue had decided to freeze. He wasn't sure how to continue. He thought he would more or less carry this in a gentler tone, not to find Lucifer incessantly prodding and poking fun at him, analyzing his every moment and twitch. It made him paranoid, that he knew what he was hiding in his pockets, and he played with the box unconsciously.

The action didn't pass by Lucifer. "You have been fidgeting with that for a while." It was as much a question as a statement. He was easing the metaphorical leash and giving Mammon time to gather his bearings and say what he wanted to.

It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say Lucifer's eyes shone with something akin to hope, but Mammon didn't see them, too distracted to notice the curious glint.

"Listen, I..." Mammon began but immediately trailed off, confidence lost already. He wasn't sure, didn't really know, but as the human said, it was better to try and fail than to not and pine. He shook his head. There was no way he was going to wuss out now that he had come so far.

So he stood up and walked towards him, towards one of the persons he considered most important in his life, and took a knee before him. He was sure his face matched those eyes, was sure right now he didn't paint the best picture –or perhaps he did to his brother's eyes–, but even if his hands were sweaty and shaking, his grip on the box never wavered, presenting it with a care that went beyond his desire for material possessions. No, it was more than that; this little token was meant to say all that his brain couldn't word, conveyed what he wanted out of this exchange, what he expected; his desire to stay forever by each other's side. And he would have done it anyway, of course, proposal or no proposal. He was loyal always to the people he most treasured, and it wasn't going to change even if today didn't end as he wanted it too.

He still remembered when the human explained all of this, remembered how the words resonated within himself on a deep emotional level, as if he had finally found a name for the sensation that has been sitting in one of the corners of his heart for the last few centuries.

“I have been thinking... Ya know, since it's been a while and stuff has happened.” He shrugged, more out of habit than defensiveness per se. “It's more a gift than anything else, you don't need to say yes. I don't really ca–“ He cut himself abruptly. Goddammit! He was messing up again. “N-no, that's not –“ He bit his lip. “Fuck.”

“Mammon.”

“It's just to show my a-appreciation, that's all!”

“ _Mammon._ ”

Mammon didn't know what he was expecting. Perhaps a chastising annoyance, a furrowed eyebrow. He found none of that, and as his chest swole again with that damn feeling, he blurted: "marry me," and finally opened the lid of the box.

Lucifer went very quiet, his lack of answer or reaction weighting down Mammon's nerves. Mammon shifted on the ground, and finally cast his gaze downwards in embarrassment, one second away from calling this out as a joke and making a retreat towards his bedroom. Perhaps Lucifer would let this go, do as if nothing happened. And Mammon would keep on pining, finally sure that his feelings were not reciprocal and he made assumptions too soon.

Lucifer blinked, a tiny flicker of lashes against his too-pale cheeks. "Wait here." He stood up, leaving Mammon to stare at his back, confused as the older made his way towards his coat. Mammon had still to decide if that was a good or a bad thing, he had nothing to base himself, his brother's face too neutral to distinguish any emotion. Lucifer rummaged in the pockets of his coat and pulled something out of them. Mammon couldn't see what it was, was probably too small too. He strained his neck to try and catch a glimpse, but Lucifer was faster in hiding it between his hands. Damn.

Lucifer crouched before him, his palms still closed and hiding whatever that was. "Look at me." Mammon did, albeit a bit nervous, but he did. He had always thought Lucifer's eyes were striking, the power of that gaze was like a magnet to everyone, mighty and high. Mammon always became putty under that gaze; even now he could feel a myriad of feelings swirling through both his chest and stomach. He ended up looking away, he couldn't handle being the sole focus of it –even in their most quiet moments, it was something he had still not grown used to–, but a hand kindly took his chin and guided him back towards it. Mammon pressed his lips together.

Lucifer shifted his eyes to the item he held and Mammon followed his line of sight. There was a small box, velvety blue and very similar to his own. Mammon's heartbeat accelerated. With only one hand, Lucifer managed to open the lid with no problem –as to be expected out of him–, and revealed another ring. Mammon's breath stopped.

“What–“ Mammon croaked. Lucifer's fingers gently caressed his jawline. “What does this mean.”

Lucifer huffed, more amused than annoyed. “What do you think this means.”

Mammon's throat was suddenly dry and had to swallow. He knew what this meant but he still wanted to hear it from Lucifer's lips. “Could– Could you say it?” He swallowed again. “Please?”

“Yes, I will marry you.” And pulled Mammon forward to kiss him.

And just like that, all the previous nervousness and dread melted away, with just a simple touch of lips and a heartfelt confession.

And once they separated it was back to normal, only this time, it was a different normal. Mammon still felt giddy, tasting the sweet success in the back of his tongue. Lucifer took one of Mammon's hands between his and with the other he pulled out the ring and slid it on his little brother's fingers. Mammon could do nothing but admire the craft and the mastery, the thought that must have gone into this tiny piece of work, pretty sure that his brother must have carefully planned every single detail that went into it. Prove of it was in the red gemstone that shone. A ruby.

“Red, huh.”

Lucifer stroked his hand. “It looks good on you.”

Mammon snorted. “Narcissistic bastard.”

"What about you then?" Oh right, Lucifer's ring.

He pulled out from the loving grip to take his box. He quickly grabbed the ring and held out his hand. Lucifer arched an eyebrow. "'ello? Your hand?" Lucifer's mouth twitched in barely contained amusement. "Asshole..." Mammon grabbed his hand and slid the ring, pleased when he saw it fit perfectly. "I think blue looks good on ya."

Lucifer held his hand in front of him, fondness plastered in his face openly. “Perhaps.” He lowered his hand again and finally stood up, Mammon following too. “I am curious. How did you find my ring measurements?”

“The human helped me.”

Lucifer arched an eyebrow. "Only them?"

Mammon rolled his eyes. “Fine, maybe Asmo helped a bit too. But I was the one who had to do the work and get it.” He grumbled.

“So that's why you have been so scarce around here lately.”

"Ha!" Mammon crossed his arms. "I got that money fair and square. Goes to show ya what I'm capable of." He pridefully boasted. Finally, recognition. He hadn't worked so hard for anything –or anyone– after all.

“So you did.”

"Yeah, and it wasn't easy, let me tell ya. That's why I'm so awesome."

Lucifer smiled in a dangerously ominous way. “I'm sure you did.”

"U-uh. Yeah. Anyway, I gotta go. I." Mammon looked at the exit. He had a bad feeling. "gotta do some things."

“ **Wait a minute.** ” Mammon stayed in place, compelled by the power of that tone –and what it promised if he didn't listen–. “Seeing as you could manage such an arduous feat, then perhaps you wouldn't mind putting the same effort into getting rid of your debts, hm?” Oh no. “You surely didn't expect me to do it, right?”

"Uh..." Slowly, as if a hunter circling his prey, Lucifer approached him little by little in sure steps. Mammon raised his hands in what he hoped was an appeasing gesture, backing up at every step his brother took. "C-can we go back to the wedding...?"

His back hit the doors of Lucifer's dresser and next thing he knew, Lucifer had both of his hands slammed at each side of his head, too close to him for comfort at that moment.

He was trapped.

“There won't be any wedding until they are gone.”

“Huh?! Hey, that's not fair!”

“I refuse to carry your debts to our marriage.” Lucifer snapped.

“Why not?! Aren't you supposed to help me as my fi- fian-” What was the word? He remembered the human saying it once... “whatever?”

" _ **Mammon**._" Lucifer growled, his hands slamming again on the wood, making Mammon close his eyes and flinch. The door rattled, not a good sign of its state.

"Alright! I heard ya..." And here he was, hoping for some nice rest and spending the remaining earnings he had. Lucifer was always too quick to cut his fun. "I will try." Mammon pouted. He had been looking forward to that. He didn't want to keep doing so many shifts. And with god knows how much debt he had he wasn't sure he was going to be off the hook very soon.

Whatever, he was angry. He just wanted to go back to his room to mourn his loss of social life for the foreseeable months to come. Mammon raised his hands and tried to push his brother away, eyebrows furrowed in obvious anger. "Can I go now?"

“No.”

What?

In a show of deadly precision, Lucifer pinned both Mammon's wrists against the wood, bodies pressed flush together and Mammon would be lying if the show of force didn't awaken something in him – though it would be far more true to say that it was already there –. Mammon stared dizzily at Lucifer's face, ever aware of the proximity of their bodies; how close they were for their breaths to caress each other's face; how Mammon could smell his brother's cologne mixed with his scent; how it was doing things to his fragile self-control. He couldn't bring himself to move not only because he was trapped between literally two hard places, but because he was scared that the movement would only fuel the growing heat in his body, betraying the need he felt for just the scarcest touch of his brother. He probably shouldn't feel ashamed, now that he had let it all out in the open, but there was still this need of rebellion, to just keep something a secret for once from his brother's prying eyes, would like to keep and shred of dignity before him. Yet when Lucifer shifted he had to press his lips together, and even though he tried not to move, there was no way he could control his restlessness. He could never stay still for too long.

"Another?" He rasped through his lips, feeling his voice dropping lower not on his own accord. If he had intended for it to be a distraction of the not-so-subtle cues his body was giving it had backfired on him. Not that he had had a chance, to begin with, it wasn't so easy to fool Lucifer.

"Yes." Lucifer's tone was quiet yet firm, enough for Mammon to hear, and enough to maintain his attention. "Mammon." He harshly called to him.

"I'm listenin', I'm listenin'!"

“You are to pass all of your classes this year.”

_ Huh? _

"What?" Mammon asked. "What?" And again once his brain processed that. "Wait wait wait." He shook his head. "You want me to work and study at the same time? Are you nuts?" Working alone had been incredibly hard but now studying? Was Lucifer trying to become a widow before they got married?

“I refuse to marry someone who is at the bottom of the chart every semester, for the sake of both mine and Lord Diavolo's images.” There was no doubt that everyone in Devildom knew already of Mammon and his antics, already having made a name for himself in every place he put a foot on, yet hard to forget that he was still one of the High Princes of Hell, even if his actions didn't reflect so. However, Lucifer was determined for his wedding to not become a pathetic joke, even if it took all of his willpower to do it.

"Lord Diavolo this, Lord Diavolo that, the eff do I care about what he thinks?" Mammon fumed. "If my 'reputation' bothers you that much perhaps you two should get married, yeah?"

“As lovely as that sounds,” Lucifer retorted, “I doubt he would moan as adorably as you do.”

"Wh- the hell?!" Mammon blushed furiously. Lucifer had the gall to fucking laugh at him right now? "That's fuckin' it. I've had enough of ya." He moved from side to side, trying to get free. Lucifer watched the actions with a smug grin, firmly set in place like a rock and not bending even an inch. Mammon was growing desperate, growling and swearing. "Fuckin'–" Lucifer just waited for Mammon to tire himself. One had to develop an immense amount of patience with the kind of brothers he had, especially with the one he was dealing with right now, but it didn't matter. They had the entire night ahead, he was not planning to let him go anytime soon.

Eventually, Mammon ran out of resistance and slumped back breathless. "Are you done?"

“I fuckin' hate you _._ ”

"I am sure you do." Sneakily, Lucifer ground both their crotches, pleased at how Mammon's eyes grew darker, all of his retorts getting stuck on his throat, a surprising whine making his way out instead. He did it a second time, just to watch Mammon bite his lip to hold back the sounds. It was laughable how weak his attempt was. His room was soundproof, what was he worrying about? Unless he did it purposefully to piss him off? Adorable. And with both hands pinned beneath him and face painted an adorable red? He made for a tasty meal right now in Lucifer's eyes. Though it was too soon yet.

He lowered his head, just a few inches of Mammon's ear, and let his breaths tease the curve of it, just so he could watch Mammon shy away from the sensation. "So, do you agree?" He whispered in the close space, observing through the corner of his eye how Mammon trembled and his blush slowly extended to his ear.

  
  


“H-huh?”

“Do you agree?”

Mammon swallowed again. He had lost the conversation thread. "Uh, to what?"

“Do you agree to the conditions?”

"Huh?" He stammered again, feeling like a fish out of the water. His mind took a while to connect the stuff, still too focused on the point of contact. And Lucifer, to really get across that he was an asshole just slid his leg between one of his, and fuck, it was getting harder to think, to breathe. He wanted it so bad, had been so long, that the minimal touch just sent him reeling down. "I." He blinked the fog out of his eyes. "Wait. There is no fuckin' way I can do all of that–" He even didn't get to finish his sentence as the leg pressed on his clothed erection.

“Perhaps I ought to persuade you in other ways.” Lucifer mouthed on his neck, breath misty on his neck and sending tingling sparkles down his spine. Not fair. _Not. Fucking. Fair._

After a moment of pondering on Lucifer's part, he bit down, and Mammon couldn't hold the mortifying wail that followed. God, that fucking hurt! It was the first time that Lucifer had bitten him with his fangs, always saying that he didn't like to leave marks. Mammon couldn't process right now what that could possibly mean, trying to stay still while the leg still rocked against him.

Lucifer finally let go of his neck, mouth going to latch at the wound and suck the oozing blood. Once he was pleased, he raised his head again, their lips almost touching when he said, “Let me refresh your memory.”

Mammon had been long gone the moment he said that.

///

Conforming to Lucifer's wishes, they kept the affair a secret from the rest of them. He wanted to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention, believing it would distract them from their goal, and very seriously took matters in his hands when he saw Mammon couldn't achieve the marks he had set, turning to give Mammon private tutoring classes, extending even late into the night. Overall Mammon was carefully balancing work, classes and the sessions, somehow managing to get his grades up and not being a complete academic failure. But make no mistake, his brother had not grown soft at all, lashing at him whenever he came back with a failed test and lamenting and questioning his tutoring.

So all in all, it had been a few rough months for the both of them; Mammon having his schedule full to the brim and Lucifer having to give up his precious few rest hours to make sure his brother was up to date with classes. Their brothers had at first been curious about the arrangement, teasing and poking fun at the two eldest, Mammon ready to retort if it hadn't been by Lucifer's warning glare. He took the teasing with a frown and merely shut up; the interest faded away with time, enough for them to grow used to both of their oldest brothers being absent from dinner time so often.

Frankly, Mammon didn't know how much longer of this he could stand. He felt himself growing mad with the need to go out, to breathe some fresh air. He missed going out to gamble, to talk with people; felt as if he was going through some kind of withdrawal, fingers itching to hold cards, to feel the rush of adrenaline through his body every time he won a round and added to his pocket.

He might be dying for real.

His only consolation was that his older brother wasn't looking any better; Lucifer was currently slumped over his desk, down to only his shirt, pants and shoes, and looking every minute as miserable as Mammon probably felt. And did he feel it by the size of those eyebags. Mammon cringed at the thought of how many hours of sleep Lucifer must have foregone for his sake. Both their sake, he corrected himself. Damn, he was beginning to feel kinda guilty at not being able to give his all right now, but there was no way in all of Devildom that he was able to keep up with his brother's pace. They both needed a break or else they were going to snap; and if he had to go by Lucifer's aura, he already had a guess who was going to. Not looking forward to being at the receiving end of all of that tension.

“How long are you going to keep staring at me.” _Oops._

“Luci...” Mammon slumps on the desk, “'m tired.”

"You will get to rest when you are done." Lucifer kept scribbling away notes on his papers, filling form after form in a mechanical efficiency only accomplished after many years stuck doing the same thing.

"C'mon! My brain is shuttin' down! I can't even understand any word it says here!"

Lucifer scrunched his nose, feeling the headache that had been present in the back of his head throughout the evening make itself more known. He dropped the pen on the desk and rubbed his hand between his eyes, trying to ease away some of his discomfort. They had been at it for nearly two hours now, time passing by so fast and so slow at the same time, losing themselves in work to not even notice Satan had left their respective dinners on the table, the food long gone cold. Lucifer sighed. It was early still, at least for his standards, but it was true that this past few weeks they had been finishing very late in the night and as he looked at Mammon, his pleading and tired eyes begging for a break, he realized that he might have been pushing the both of them too far. He was sure he didn't look better.

"Very well, but tomorrow you will have to make for today." Make no mistake, he was not letting him pull out of this one. There already was a limited amount of time they had to go through each assignment, they had no time to waste.

Mammon's eyes lit up, pumping a fist in the air and getting up from the chair, gathering his stuff into his bag with haste, the promise of a good night rest fueling him. Lucifer stood up too, gathering his work into neat piles, ready to be revised tomorrow. By the time he finished Mammon was waiting already eagerly beside the door, almost jumping in excitement, looking far from being tired. Lucifer clicked the lights of the study off and closed the door quietly. His brothers were surely awake, but he knew better than to disturb the odd calm of the House.

"Well, see ya tomorrow." Mammon began making his way to his room, but he was stopped by a hand grabbing him by the wrists and one pair of hands lifting him into one of Lucifer's shoulders, carrying him into the other direction, not at all where his bedroom was. "Hey, what the fuck! The hell are ya doing?"

“Me?” Lucifer innocently asked. “Going to sleep, of course.”

"That don't make any sense at all!" Mammon protested, trying to get free. How did he always end up as a rack sack for his brother? "Why do I gotta go too?"

"You said you were tired, didn't you?" Lucifer smiled to himself. "I'm just making sure you are getting some rest."

"When I said that, I meant in different beds!" Mammon was ashamed, mortified, humiliated. He hoped none of his brothers decided to go for a midnight stroll right now, they would never forget this and would tease him mercilessly.

"Can't you see that I'm worried?" The door of Lucifer's bedroom clicked open, the light being turned on surprising Mammon a bit.

"That's what ya calling it now? 'Concern?'" He made the air quote-unquote gesture, even if Lucifer couldn't see him. He just wanted to get his point across.

Lucifer decided to ignore him, throwing him on the bed and leaving him to bounce breathless on the mattress. Sometimes Mammon wondered what he saw in the arrogant asshole he had the bad luck to call older brother.

The bed dipped beside him, the sound of shoes being kicked and falling to the ground was all that filled the silence. A pair of arms snuggled him, followed by a warm body pressing against his back and a warm breath tickling the back of his head. "Aren't ya gonna use the comforter?"

"Are you cold?" Lucifer mumbled.

“No.”

"Then no." And just like that, it became silent again.

And it's really not Mammon's fault at that moment when his brain decides to become active again and grows restless on the mattress. He tried closing his eyes and sleep, but it had none of it and stared with bloodshot eyes to the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take him at some point. Which didn't happen, and instead he squirmed on the bed. He too kicked his shoes at some point, having forgotten he had them on still and stopped moving when Lucifer mumbled something in his sleep, his arms tightening around him and his head pressing closer to him.

Mammon was bored. He had absolutely nothing to entertain himself save his thoughts, and right now they were anxiety-filled about the upcoming tests, which didn't help his overall restlessness, feet bouncing nervously on the bed. He had tried to reach for his phone on his back pockets, but failed to get it since Lucifer's arms were too tight around him, enough to be on the border of uncomfortable, but not really.

He was so bored.

“Mammon,” Lucifer croaked, “ _sleep_.”

“I can't.”

Lucifer exhaled angrily, then grumpily opened his eyes. “Two minutes ago you complained about being tired and now you can't sleep?”

“It's not my fault, I can't do shit if my brain doesn't wanna sleep!”

Lucifer shushed him. "Close your damn eyes now or I will put you to sleep permanently." And then Lucifer conked out again.

Mammon was alone. Again. He groaned out loud, which wasn't taken well as Lucifer pinched the meat of his stomach. "Aw! Friggin' assh–" Another pinch. Mammon tried to wiggle away. "Hgh! Stop!"

“Sleep. **Now**.”

"Alright, I'm gonna!" Mammon pouted and closed his eyes as prompted. Lucifer's hand went to rest again quietly on his chest, letting the steady sound of his brother's heartbeat lull him back to sleep.

Mammon couldn't sleep still, but now he didn't dare move in fear of awakening Lucifer again. Yet somehow, listening to Lucifer's calm breaths helped him ease away some of his anxiety, eyelids growing heavier by the minute as he too was taken by sleep.

  
  
  


It was with a groan that both of them woke up from the sound of an alarm going off. Mammon had to physically disentangle himself from the mess of limbs they had become during the night, groggily making his way to the damn machine and punching it quiet. He slumped back on the bed, then was promptly startled by his phone alarm going off. Lucifer cursed loud enough to be heard outside his soundproof walls. Today he didn't seem to be his day. While people often grew irritated the less they slept, with Lucifer it was the other way around, waking up grumpier the more he slept.

All in all, it took Mammon ten minutes to finally drag Lucifer out of bed, his coordination failing him. He didn't want to insist too much either, noticing the foul mood the other demon was into. Mammon convinced Lucifer to get a change of clothes and he sneaked to his own room, luckily not running into any of his brothers, to get a change of clothes too. A shower would have been ideal too, but he figured he could manage that after work, and as an excuse to delay the inevitability that was Lucifer.

He was still tired though.

Yawning big and dragging his feet through the floor, he made his way to the dining room where most of his brothers were already waiting and eating breakfast. He mumbled his greeting, not giving a single fuck at being ignored, and took a seat between Beel and Satan. A quick glance told him that Lucifer had arrived before him, and was already sipping his coffee quietly while he checked his messages on his D.D.D., acting nonchalantly, as if Mammon hadn't had to drag his ass out of bed.

The dining room was very lively with chatter, one of the few times where all of them coincided in a long time. Mammon didn't realize how much he had missed the background noise until he felt it, and it was safe to say he was damn happy to see his lil' bros together after so long. The mindless banter and chatter relieved some of his exhaustion, livening things up for him as he argued with Levi about his new weird obsession when out of the blue Asmo asked: "Lucifer, is that a ring on your hand?"

The room went silent, all the heads turning towards the eldest brother; precisely, at the currently gloveless –oh fuck– hand and the very visible piece of jewelry on his hand. Lucifer's face went comically blank, probably hadn't even thought of that little mistake, and was mentally berating himself.

"Wait, is he going to get married? With who? And why didn't he tell us?" Levi asked out loud, the room breaking into whispers. Mammon was silent the entire time, exchanging nervous glances with Lucifer. Meanwhile, Lucifer tried to shush them.

"Hey, isn't Mammon awfully quiet?" Fucking Asmodeus, he was going to rip his throat. "He is acting suspicious, he must know something."

“Wait, look at his fingers.” Belphegor pointed out.

Mammon hid his hands under the table, "Nuthin' to see, nope."

“Are you talking about the ring on his finger?” Satan inquired. “He had had it for a few months now. Didn't you realize?”

“Oh, he has?” Asmo tilted his head.

Satan nodded. “For about four months now, I believe.” God, how creepily accurate that was. Satan had a keen eye.

"Wait, isn't that around the time that Mammon and Lucifer began spending more time together?" Levi added to the conversation.

"Wait a minute..." Asmodeus squinted his eyes, recognizing the shape and form of Lucifer's ring. "I know that ring! Oh my. That's the ring I helped Mammon choose!"

All sets of eyes shifted between Lucifer and Mammon, waiting for one of them to explain; Mammon looked at his plate like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Lucifer was just resting his head on his hands. Nobody said anything.

The brothers looked at each other, gathering the remaining pieces, then the calm blew into a storm.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hope you all enjoyed this little fluffy thing I created! This came out of an idea with some friends (they know who they are *coughs*), and if you came only for the fluff and proposal this would be it for you.
> 
> However, if you want a little more the second part will be uploaded sometime in the next two weeks and it will have the wedding night, which means nsfw and obviously more tooth rooting and self-indulgent stuff.
> 
> If you liked it, please drop a comment 🙏


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